Re: Monarch in 2 Stages

I once monitored a monarch caterpillar on a milkweed in our yard and photographed it as it developed into a chrysalis then when the butterfly emerged. My camera equipment wasn't too good at the time but it was fascinating to watch. I was inspired to research and write an article for my grandkids...to show them how amazing the monarch is. Here's the inro:

- If you ate like a monarch caterpillar, your favorite food would be poisonous to most other animals but you would rather starve to death than eat anything else.

- If you grew at the same rate as a monarch caterpillar you would weigh just over eight tons by the time you were 20 days old. That’s almost four times as heavy as my Toyota pickup. Aren’t you glad you don’t have to pay that grocery bill?

- You can see well with two eyes but did you know that the monarch butterfly has two compound eyes with 6,000 simple eyes in each? That’s 12,000 eyes that can see all the colors we can see plus ultraviolet light, which we can’t see. They can also detect polarized light. Can you imagine what they see through 12,000 eyes?

- To taste your food the way a monarch butterfly does you would have to take off your shoes and socks and stand on your plate. The monarch butterfly smells with its antennae and tastes with its feet. Aren’t you glad you don’t have to stand on your pizza to taste it?

- Have you ever wished you had an extra brain? The monarch butterfly has seven extra nerve centers distributed throughout its body that serve as mini-brains. These seven extra “brains” allow the monarch butterfly to live, walk around and even fly after its head has been cut off. (Don’t try this at home.)

Re: Monarch in 2 Stages

Hi Chuck,

Thanks for the information.Fascinating stuff.I went back to the field where I found the caterpiller,but had no luck finding it again.I would love to get a shot of it in the chrysalis stage.
regards,
Jim

Re: Monarch in 2 Stages

Originally Posted by Jim B.

Hi Chuck,

Thanks for the information.Fascinating stuff.I went back to the field where I found the caterpiller,but had no luck finding it again.I would love to get a shot of it in the chrysalis stage.
regards,
Jim

The chrysalis starts out as a creamy green color but turns deep green with metalic gold markings. It's quite beautiful. As it matures you begin to see the butterfly pattern and colors inside the chrysalis. When the butterfly emerges the chrysalis left behind is a translucent light brown. Very interesting process to watch.